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T. P. BROWN.

GOVERNOR FOR PNEUMATIC PLAYER ACTIONS- APPLICATION FILED MN. :9. 191a.

Pa tented Oct. 14,1919.

Bvenfov 77/ Km ,By/ZflfocneyS TU BELLE W5 $5 coLuMIIA PLAWPH cm. WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT oriuon.

THEODORE P. BROWN, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 SIMPLEX PLAYER ACTION COMPANY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A. CORPORA- TION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

GOVERNOR FOR PNEUMATIC PLAYER-ACTIONS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 14, 1919.

Application filed January 19, 1918. Serial No. 212,748.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, TnnononnP. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at lVorcester, in the county of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvement in Governors for Pneumatic PlayersActions, of which the following, together with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

The present invention relates to a governor for pneumatic player actions, as used in connection with mechanism provided for the automatic playing of a piano, or the like. The invention resides in the provision of a simplified form of governor or regulator, adapted to be interposed between the action or playing devices and the exhausting or vacuum producing device which is employed to operate said playing devices. Such a governor or regulator operates to maintain a constant tension or degree of vacuum in the playing devices irrespective of variations in the operation of the exhausting mechanism, as hereinafter described in detail, reference being had in this connection to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a sectional view through my improved governor.

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof, with parts removed.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view, and

Fig. 4: is a detail view illustrating a modification in the bleeding instrumentalities.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures.

As shown in the drawings, the governor consists of a hollow box 1 providing an interior chamber 2 which is connected in the usual way to the bellows or exhausting mechanism of the piano, not shown. The box 1 also provides a second chamber 3 which is entirely independent of the chamber 2, being separated therefrom by interior partitions l, 5. This chamber 3 is in communication through a pipe 6 with the several devices constituting the playing mechanism or action of the piano, and which are not herein shown since they form no part of the present invention.

A chamber 7 is formed on the outer side of box 1 by means of a flexible diaphragm 8 which is secured to a framework 9, the latter being secured by screws 10, 10 to the box 1, and retaining said diaphragm in spaced relation to the wall of said box, thereby to form said chamber 7. The chamher 3 is in direct communication with the chamber 7 through an opening 11 in the top wall of box 1. Said top wall ofbox 1 is bored above the chamber-2 to receive a sleeve or tube 12, preferably of hardened fibrous material, which is snugly seated in said box and preferably extends down through the chamber 2 and into a similar opening or bore provided in the lower wall of boxjl, asshown in Figs. 1 and 8. The upper edge of tube 12 projects slightly into the chamber 7, for a purpose hereinafter described, and said tube 12 within the chamher 2 is provided with a plurality of openings 13, affording communication between said chamber and the interior of the tube.

The diaphragm 8 has secured thereto a circular button or valve 14:, whose under surface is preferably covered'with leather or other suitable material for contact with the projecting edge 15 of tube 12. Within the tube 12 is carried a spring 16 which is se. cured at its lower end to an adjustable member 17, the latter being fixed to the end of a screw 18 that projects through a closure plate 19 for the lower end of tube 12. The spring 16 bears yieldingly against the button or valve 14 to retain the same in elevated position, said button or valve having a projection 20 which is received within the upper end of the spring, and retains said spring in centered position.

A In operation, it will be seen that communication is established between the chambers 2 and 3 by the opening 11, chamber 7, interior of tube 12 and the holes 13 in said tube. This communication is controlled automatically by the button or valve 14, which cooperates with the projecting edge 15 of tube 12 to regulate the amount of air drawn from chamber 3 into chamber 2. Under the action of the vacuum produced in chamber 2, the tendency of the diaphragm Sis to collapse, and thus to restrict the flow of air into the top of tube 12 by the seating or partial seating of valve or button 14:. This tendency is resisted by the spring 16, whose force is variable, as above described, by the adjusting screw 18. As a result of this construction, the tension produced in the chamber 3, and communicated thereby .to the playing devlces on action of the instrument, is kept substantially constant, irrespective of variations in the tension prevailing in chamber 2. IVhen the tension in chamber 2 becomes excessive, the valve or button 1 1 is depressed against the action of spring 16 and thus the air flowing into the top of tube 12 is restricted or throttled. On the other hand, when the tension in chamber 2 is momentarily lessened, the spring 16 pushes the button 14: upwardly, thereby giving a full and unrestricted opening at the top of tube 12.

In the case of such an excessive tension in chamber 2 as to completely close the top of tube 12, by drawin the valve 1 1 down into contact with the ecIge or seat 15, means are provided to ventilate or bleed the regulator and thereby to prevent the flow of air from being entirely shut off. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, such means may take the form of a bleed opening 21 in the partition 4; which separates the chambers 2 and 3, the efiective area of said opening being controlled by an adjustable screw 22 threaded in the side wall of box 1. Or, if desired, as shown in Fig. 4, a constant bleed may be provided in the form of a notch 23 in the edge 15 of tube 12, said notch allowing a small quantity of air to pass into the tube even when the valve 14: is seated on said edge.

I claim,

1. In an apparatus of the class described, a vacuum chamber connected with an air exhausting mechanism, a second chamber connected with pneumatically operated mechanism, an intervening diaphragm chamber having a flexible diaphragm forming one of its sides, with the outer surface of the diaphragm exposed to atmospheric pressure, a communication between said diaphragm chamber and said second chamber, an opening between said diaphragm chamber and said vacuum chamber, a valve carried by said diaphragm for closing the opening between said diaphragm chamber and said vacuum chamber, and means for resisting the closure of said valve.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, a vacuum chamber connected with an air exhausting mechanism, a second chamber connected with a pneumatically operated mechanism, an intervening diaphragm chamber having a flexible diaphragm forming one of its sides, with the outer surface of the diaphragm exposed to atmospheric pressure, a communication between said diaphragm chamber and said second cham ber, an opening between said diaphragm chamber and said vacuum chamber, a valve carried by said diaphragm "for closing the opening between said diaphragm chamber and said vacuum chamber, means for resisting the closure of said valve, and means for varying said resistance at will.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, a vacuum chamber connected with an air exhausting mechanisn'i, a second chamber connected with a pneumatically operated mechanism, an intervening diaphragm chamber having a flexible diaphragm forming one of its sides, with the outer surface of the diaphragm exposed to atmospheric pressure, a communication between said diaphragm chamber and said second chamber, an opening between said diaphragm chamber and said vacuum chamber, a valve carried by said diaphragm for closing said opening, yielding means for resisting the closure of said valve, and a blcedopening between the vacuum and diaphragm chambers.

I. In an apparatus of the class described, a vacuum chamber connected with an air exhausting mechanism, a diaphragm chamber connected with pneumatically operated mechanism and having a flexible diaphragm forming one of its sides, with the outer surface of said diaphragm exposed to atmospheric pressure, an opening between said vacuum chamber and the diaphragm chamber, a valve carried by said diaphragm to close said opening, and means for applying a varying yielding resistance to the closing movement of said valve at will.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, a vacuum chamber, a diaphragm chamber having a flexible diaphragm forming one of its sides, and having its outer surface exposed to atmospheric pressure, a tube communicating with said vacuum chamber havin one end opening into said diaphragm eh amber, a valve carried by said diaphragm for closing the open end of said tube, a spring for resisting the closing movement of said valve, and means for varying the resistance of said spring Dated this 16th day of January, 1918.

THEODORE P. BROIVN.

WVitnesses NnLLIE WVHALEN,

PENELOPE OOMBERBAGH.

copiel of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

